Using the Ellipsis

Read the original text:

A newly discovered species of titanosaur—a sauropod that lived 95 million years ago—may be the largest dinosaur that ever existed.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"A newly discovered species of titanosaur . . . may be the largest dinosaur that ever existed."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a phenomenon associated with fluctuating ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. The warm phase of the cycle results in increased precipitation across the southern United States.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a phenomenon associated with fluctuating ocean temperatures . . . across the southern United States."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

That man has lived as a hermit in the remote wilderness, more than two hundred miles from the nearest town, for nearly thirty years.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"That man has lived as a hermit in the remote wilderness . . . for nearly thirty years."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

NASA's Langley Research Center sponsored a kids' art contest with the theme "The Future is Now," and the results reveal the students' optimism and pessimism about the future.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"NASA's Langley Research Center sponsored a kids' art contest . . . reveal the students' optimism and pessimism about the future."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

When the online social networking site Facebook first launched in 2004, it served only students at Harvard University.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"When . . . Facebook first launched in 2004, it served only students at Harvard University."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

Additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, is a process where layers of material are laid down to create a three-dimensional object based on a digital model.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"Additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, . . . create a three-dimensional object based on a digital model."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

In the Karakum Desert of central Turkmenistan, the Darvaza gas crater, just over one hundred fifty miles from the country's capital, has been burning for more than forty years.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"In the Karakum Desert of central Turkmenistan, the Darvaza gas crater . . . has been burning for more than forty years."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

Online review websites, where people may anonymously leave comments, ratings, and reviews, help consumers choose restaurants, movies, salons, and, increasingly, doctors.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"Online review websites . . . choose restaurants, movies, salons, and, increasingly, doctors."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

Among the collections at the Smithsonian Institution is the bright orange jacket—trimmed in gold and studded with turquoise buttons—that singer Marian Anderson wore for her performance at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"Among the collections at the Smithsonian Institution is . . . that singer Marian Anderson wore for her performance at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939."

• Yes

• No

Read the original text:

The Titanic wreckage was surveyed by Alvin, which is the oldest and most well-known deep-sea research vehicle.

Is the following an appropriate use of an ellipsis?

"The Titanic wreckage . . . is the oldest and most well-known deep-sea research vehicle."

• Yes

• No